Invalid&#39;s chair.



D. G. HADLEY.

INVALID'S CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1914.

1,21 9,295. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ll'mumlm J 2/011144 eooeo D. G. HADLEY.

INVALID'S CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1914.

1,21 9,295. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gmuehloz l7. GiHadZgy,

DANA G. HADLEY, OF WEST NEWBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

INVALIDS cHAIa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application filed September 23, 1914. Serial No. 863,157.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, DANA G. HADLEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at West Newbury, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Invalids Chairs; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements ininvalids chairs and has for its primary object to provide a device ofthis character which will be of extremely simple construction andoperation as well as highly efiicient in use, and which will be of suchform that the chair may either be used as a rocking chair or as a rollerchair, as desired.

The invention has for another object-to provide a chair of thischaracter which will be provided with improved and novel means forpropelling the chair, the hands being used for operating the propellingmechanism forming the ends of the arms of the chair.

The invention has for a further object to provide propelling mechanismcomposed of the minimum number of parts of such form that 'the operatinggear may be readily thrown into engagement with the operated gear, orout of engagement with the same, as.. desired.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction, combination and arrangement of parts aS will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a side elevation of thecomplete device,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the operating gear and operatedgears in engagement with one another, said view also faces of the siderails 5 of the platform 5 upon which the rocking chair is mounted Theplatform is provided at its rear end with rearwardly extending andupwardly curved supporting brackets 6, to the upper free ends of whichare pivoted the supports 7 of caster wheels 8. These wheels support therear end of the platform. It will be understood that the inter-mesh ingteeth 3 and 4 ,will prevent longitudinal movement of the rocking chair 1with relation tothe platform 5 when the chair is being rocked'or whenthe device is being propelled. I

At the outer ends of the arms 9 of the rocking chair 1 there are handwheels 10, which hand wheels'are keyed to the inner ends of shafts 11.The shafts 11 are journal'ed in'and extend laterally from the upper endsof the bracket arms 12 which are secured to and rise vertically from theside bars 12 of the seat frame 12 of the rocking chair. These shaftshavekeyed to their outer ends sprocket wheels 13 around which passsprocket chains 14 which also pass around sprocket wheels 15 keyed tothe outer ends of the shafts 16. The shafts 16 are journaled in andextend laterally from the lower ends of bracket arms 17 which aresecured to and extend downwardly and rearwardly from the side bars 12;

A gear wheel 28is splined upon each shaft 16 between one of the bracketarms 17, and one of the sprocket wheels 15. The gear wheels 28 areprovided with clutch faces 26 for engagement with clutch faces 27 of thesprocket wheels 15. The gear wheels 28 also have extended hubs 24:provided with annular grooves 25 for the reception of the lower forkedends 22 of shifting levers ,18. These levers are pivoted between theirends upon pins 19 carried by the cars 21 of brackets '20 secured to theouter sides of the side bars 12". By means of these levers either gearwheel 28 may be thrown into or out of clutching engagement with itscompanion sprocket wheel 15.

The front end of the platform 5 is supported by propeller wheels 30which are independently journaled upon the platform 5 by means of hollowshafts 30*. The wheels are fixed to the shafts 30 and the latter arejournaled in and extend outwardly from bearing brackets 32, which aresecured to and extend upwardly from the side rails 5. As an additionalsupport for the shafts 30, there is provided a rod 31, which is mountedin the shafts and which is held positioned by cap nuts It is to beunderstood that the shafts 3 a are mounted for rotation independently ofeach other and the rod 31. Gear wheels 29 are fixed to thesha'l'ts 30and mesh with the gear wheels 28 when the latter are in. clutchingengagement with the sprocket wheels As the bearing brackets 32 arelocated outside of the rockers 2, they prevent-the chair 1 from movinglaterally off the platform 5.

When it is desired to rock the chair, the occupant moves the gear wheels28 out of clutching engagement with the sprocket wheels 15. When it isdesired to propel the chair, the gear wheels 28 are thrown intoclutching engagement with the sprocket wheels 15 by means of theshifting rods 18, and power is transmitted to the propelling wheelsthrough the medium of the hand wheels 10. As the propelling wheels aremounted for independent rotation and as the operating mechanism for thepropelling wheels may be independently operated, it is only necessarywhen it is desired to turn the device to hold one propelling wheelagainst rotation by thehand wheel connected thereto and rotate the otherpropelling wheel by the other hand wheel. The propelling wheel heldagainst rotation will act as a pivot about which the device will beturned by the propelling wheel being operated. hen the chair is beingoperated as a vehicle, there is secured to the rear side A a hook 3 andan eye 4 is secured to rockers 2 to hold the chair against rocking offthe platform when being propelled as a vehicle.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in details ofconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made withoutdcparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed, orsacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

hat is claimed is '1. A device of the class described compris ing aplatform, a. rocking chair mounted upon said platform, means forpreventing longitudinal movement of the rockers upon the platform,casters mounted in the rear of the platform, surface engaging wheelsmounted in the front of the platform, and means for rotating the surfaceengaging wheels independently of each other.

2. A device of the class described comprising av platform, surfaceengaging wheels for said platform, casters for the rear end of theplatform, a rocking chair mounted upon the platform, means forsupporting said surface engaging wheels, gear wheels mounted upon saidsupporting means and connected with said surface engaging wheels torotate with the latter, hand wheels carried by said chair, operativeconnection between the hand wheels and the gear wheels, and means fordisconnecting the hand wheels from said gear wheels when desired so thatthe engaging wheels may be independently rotated.

3. A, device of the class described con'ipris ing a-platform, surfaceengaging wheels for said platform, a shaft for said surface engagingwheels, gear wheels mounted upon said shaft, a chair mounted upon saidplatform, hand wheels, carried by said chair, shafts supported beneathsaid chair, connection between said shafts and said hand wheels tooperate the surface engaging wheels, gear wheels carried by said shaftsand engaging with the gears mounted upon the first mentioned shafts, andmeans for disconnecting the second mentioned gear wheels from the firstmentioned gear wheels.

4. A device of the class described comprising a platform, surfaceengaging wheels for said platform, a chair mounted upon said platformand adapted to rock upon the same, means for preventing longitudinalmovement of said chair upon said platform, a shaft carried by saidplatform, said surface engaging wheels keyed upon said shaft and adaptedto rotate freely therewith, gear wheels mounted upon said shaft whichare connected with surface engaging wheels, operating means carried bysaid chair and .engaging with said gear wheels, and means fordisengaging said operating means permitting independent rotation of thesurface on gaging wheels.

5. A device of the class described compris ing a platform, a rockingchair mounted upon said platform, means for preventing movement of saidchair longitudinally upon said platform, a shaft mounted upon saidplatform, surface engaging wheels mounted upon said shaft beneath thechair, gear wheels connected with said surface engaging wheels, stubshafts mounted upon said chair, gear wheels mounted upon said stubshafts, said last mentioned gear wheels being normally engaged by thefirst mentioned gear wheels, hand wheels mounted upon the chair,

connection between said hand Wheels and the second mentioned gear Wheelsto rotate the same when said gear Wheels are engaged by the firstmentioned gear Wheels, and means mounted upon the chair for disengagingthe second mentioned gear wheels from the first mentioned gear Wheels.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two wltnesses.

DANA G. HADLEY.

- Witnesses:

MARY E. COONEY, WALTER SWAP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0.

